


Kicking the Inevitable's Ass

by a_guy_who_really_likes_musicals



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Hopeful Ending, Panic Attacks, References to Depression, paul and emma are alive and as well as they could be having survived the end of the world
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 19:26:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19257646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_guy_who_really_likes_musicals/pseuds/a_guy_who_really_likes_musicals
Summary: Ben Bridges did escort Emma home this time.(Oneshot where I give them the "happy" ending they deserve.)





	Kicking the Inevitable's Ass

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this at 4am because i listened to inevitable way too much and became a sappy blob of emotions

“Mr. Ben Bridges will come to escort you,”

 

“Oh, uh, I don’t know any Ben Bridges-”

 

“According to our records, you two were very close friends…”

 

_ What? _

 

“...PEIP would like to see it become more.”

 

“Who-”

 

“Hi, Emma.”

 

Emma whipped around. There he was, with the same goofy looking smile on his face.

 

“Paul! Holy fuck, you made it! We made it!!”

 

She jumped to hug him. He was almost a whole foot and a half taller than her, but the hug wasn’t awkward. It was the best, warmest, comforting hug she’d ever received. 

 

“I’m just s-so glad you’re alive… j-just how?” Her voice came out muffled into his jacket.

 

Paul exhaled shakily and pulled away from Emma. 

 

“I’ll explain it to you later, right now our instructions are to get an uber and go to uptown Clivesdale, apparently they have a government funded house we can stay in.”

 

Paul smiled at Emma but it didn’t reach his eyes. Oh, his beautiful pale eyes are probably what Emma missed the most. They were darkened now. 

 

“Anything else you need to grab? Any meds?” he asked glancing down at her leg. 

 

She shook her head.

 

Paul’s phone dinged. “Alright then, let’s go.”

\---

The uber they got was an uber deluxe, so it was big and had a closing window to the driver, not unlike a taxi. The driver had it closed after saying a curt hello to the pair. 

 

“So how the hell did you get out of Hatchetfield?”

 

Paul blinked. “How’d you?”

“PEIP picked me up, I used a payphone close to the mainland bridge to call 911… I think I passed out after telling them the situation-”

 

“They told me you went into a stress-induced coma, I didn’t even know if you were gonna wake up!”

 

_ I did what?! _

 

The general hadn’t told her what day it was. 

 

“What day is it?” Emma said, panicked.

 

Paul looked away and whispered, “You were out for months… I already was able to walk when you woke up.”

 

“What the fuck did you just say?!”

 

“Uhm, you were out for months?”

 

“No, no! After that!”

 

Paul looked confused. “I was already able to walk when you-”

 

“Exactly- What the fuck does that mean? Were you not able to walk?”

 

He sighed and frowned. “Apparently, blowing up something gives you injuries…”

 

“So you blew up the meteor but… oh, Paul what happened to you?!”

 

He grimaced. “I got some nasty burns and stuff. My lower body was fucked, they had to amputate a leg, I think the only things that came out okay were my head and arms.”

 

Emma gaped like a fish. 

 

“I-I sent y-you to do that… holy shit I sent you on a suicide mission and now you have no leg and fuck you could’ve died-!”

 

“Emma, Emma, it’s not your fault. None of it was your fault-”

 

“Gosh! Just let me see the damn thing!”

 

“Okay, okay, chill out,” Paul laughed nervously, “I think it’s actually kinda cool-”

 

“Paul! You lost your leg! How is that ever cool?!”

 

“Hear me out- have ever seen Fullmetal Alchemist?”

 

“I think… I think one of Jane’s kids liked that show, but what does that have to do with-”

 

“The main character lost his leg trying to get his mom back and got a prosthetic! I got one too, and I didn’t even have to pay for it!”

 

“... Paul, you’re a nerd. Do you think you’re some cool main character now? Like losing your leg is a joke-”

 

“It’s not, I know that. I’m just looking on the bright side!”

 

“... And the bright side is looking like… a Japanese fictional character?”

 

Paul laughed. He had a cute laugh. Emma stopped to stare at him. The more she thought about it… 

 

Their driver rolled down his window. 

 

“Bye lovebirds~” He gave a knowing wink to Emma. She felt herself blush fiercely. 

 

They both stepped out of the car to find a humongous house, no, a mansion. 

 

“Well damn,” Paul mumbled. 

 

“Please tell me this isn’t a joke,” Emma whispered. 

 

“It’s not... ?” 

 

“Well then, let’s go.” 

* * *

Paul and Emma went on as Ben and Kelly, though they rarely called each other that. They didn’t go out much except for therapy, as Paul did physical for his leg and they both went to a psychologist for their respective mental issues.

 

After one month of living together, the two had become close enough to call each other boyfriend and girlfriend. They got a service dog named Bean together. She was a corgi. They adopted another dog from an animal rescue center. Her name was Max and she was a husky-mix who had been abused by her last owner. It took time for her to warm up to everything, but not unlike Emma and Paul, would pull through eventually. 

 

Three months into their new life, Paul had a severe panic attack. It happened while Emma was scrolling through Netflix and “Mamma Mia” appeared on her home page. Paul started to break down sobbing. He told Emma everything about his friendship with Bill, and how he was Alice’s godfather, and what went down at Hatchetfield High School. Paul’s self-inflicted guilt was so overwhelming it put him into a depressive state for a few days. He stopped smiling as the full force of what happened to his hometown, his friends, his  _ family _ , hit him. 

 

The week after, Paul gathered up enough courage to search “Hatchetfield” on the internet. Nothing came up except for conspiracy theory sites and families of the citizens looking for some sort of hope and closure. 

 

Understandably, Paul was shocked and hurt. No one had a closing statement on a city that was wiped out in a singular day, a city with a population of 10,000 people. He told Emma this and she went absolutely ballistic. 

 

So, they called PEIP from the emergency card the general had given them. It took a lot of arguing, especially from Emma, but they came to a compromise. 

 

A press conference was held. It was to be broadcasted on live television. A representative from the U.S. military (a soldier of PEIP, though no one could know that) gave a speech on what officially happened to Hatchetfield. A meteor crashed down on the island and blew up a nuclear plant, causing the total mass extinction of the island. PEIP made up how big the meteor was and the poisonous extent of the “gas and chemicals” that caused the populations demise. The meeting was about to end when…

 

“Oh, and I have one last thing to say,” the representative claimed, grabbing the attention of all the reporters in the room. “There is a last bit of hope for the public, as there are two survivors of the Hatchetfield incident.”

 

Gasps and shouts were heard around the room. Paul and Emma sat in the back, already knowing what was going to happen. 

 

“They wished to have their identities kept a secret, as they would like to live among you without the reminder of the tragedy and destruction they saw their town go through. I do have some friends of theirs who’ll be starting funds for a memorial to honor those lost to this incident, A Mr. Ben Bridges and Kelly Pennington.”

 

Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her new name and smirked. Meanwhile, Paul smiled. It was the first time he had smiled in months.

* * *

Two months later, a large memorial was built. PEIP had officially “exterminated” Hatchetfield and Paul and Emma’s hometown was wiped off the map for eternity.

 

Paul broke down at the sight of Alice and Bill’s name when he first saw them. They visited the memorial every Saturday afternoon, it was one of their constants in life. 

 

Emma decided to stray away from the pot farm business (though, she did still love weed. She smoked it on occasion and always offered to Paul but he would decline) and become an artist. With no professional training and a whole lot of issues, she painted abstract pieces. She especially loved painting while high. Paul said it was hilarious to watch.

 

Paul started writing a book. He wrote a comedy/slice-of-life story about a woman named Charlotte and her best friend, Bill, working through a life of relationship troubles. They had kooky side characters such as their boss, and the office annoyance/troublemaker Ted. It was to be published under the name “Hatchetfield Dreamer”, and the book was made to honor the normal lives citizens of Hatchetfield from the perspective of someone who lived there. It was Paul’s method of coping, writing about his friends in a good and funny way, just how he remembered them. 

 

And no, their story just doesn’t end like that. Nothing ever becomes normal for Paul and Emma. They worked together to plow through nightmares and pills. Emma refuses to paint with the color blue. They both hated the fearful part of them and how stupid it must look from the outside to avoid these things, but it was their way of living. 

 

They kept Hatchetfield alive in their hearts, which were still pumping red blood.

**Author's Note:**

> i really enjoy comments so if you'd like to comment that'd be great :)


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